Community, Organising and Activism

Why we have to be there

WHY WE HAVE TO BE THERE – TESTMONIES FROM THE HELPERS OF GOD’S PRECIOUS INFANTS

…….as a young Polish woman approached and Patrick went to speak to her. She told him that she did not want to abort the baby, but to have it adopted; she had seen her GP and had had a scan done. Seemingly no-one had listened to her when she said she wanted the baby adopted, because instead she was given an appointment for an abortion – even though she was 26 weeks pregnant. Patrick took her across to Anne who asked her to go with them to talk about it over a cup of tea. She agreed and when asked would she like to go to Mass first, said she would (she is Catholic). She came with them to St. Thomas’ Church and after Mass had a private talk with the priest and got a blessing for her and her unborn baby. Patrick took her to the Women’s Centre where she is now getting all the help she needs. Since then, she has given birth to a beautiful baby girl – and decided that she wanted to keep her.

…..a young woman approached the abortion centre; she told our counsellor that she was about 6 weeks pregnant. She listened to him, took all the information leaflets and used his mobile phone to make an appointment with the Women’s Centre for the following Tuesday, and said that she was going in to MS to tell them she had changed her mind.

As the couple came out of MS and walked up the road to their car, they stopped to tell the counsellor that they had changed their mind and were keeping their baby – they then continued walking and hugging each other. Another young lady told our counsellor that she already had a 6 year old and a toddler but when she realised she would be able to get help, she said she would keep her baby.

Another girl, who previously had an abortion, had accompanied her friend who was seeking an abortion, and told me she wished she had this support outside the clinic prior to her abortion and regretted that she did not. I gave her all the information to give to her friend.

We have had a number of mums who have decided at the 11th hour to keep their babies. Notably, one lady who did not want to have an abortion but her GP told her that she had a mental health problem and would not be allowed to keep her baby. Happily our Counsellor was able to put her in touch with a Psychiatrist who assured her that this did not come under the conditions of the Abortion Act and was able to help her.

Another lady gratefully accepted the help we offered, as her husband insisted that she abort their baby and refused to support her. Because we were there to offer help, she was encouraged to resist her husband in his very aggressive attempts to force her to end the life of her baby. We are overjoyed to be able to tell you that this lady has now given birth to a baby daughter – and the husband is now helping her with the baby. Also we are pleased to tell you that another two mothers who accepted our help have given birth to their babies.

[At Maidstone], I was counselling, a young lady came over to talk to me. She explained that she helped with the cleaning in the Life Church but she felt that God was asking her to come and pray with us. She wanted to help mothers to keep their babies. She herself was helped and supported by the Good Counsel Network crisis pregnancy centre when she was pregnant with her son who was now 5 years old. She came as a pray-er at the following month’s vigil and we all met her son.

A few weeks ago I spoke to a Muslim father whose girlfriend was inside with some of her family. As a Muslim, he agreed that life began at conception and that he realised that this was his child whom he needed to protect. He said he would encourage his girlfriend to go to the pregnancy centre in London as soon as she was away from the influence of her family.

…The girl stopped halfway up the steps to search for her mobile in her bag. She put her bag down and started to rummage in it. My heart started to thump. “Would she or wouldn’t she stop to take the leaflets I had clutched in my hand”? As she reached the top she quickly grabbed the pink and blue leaflets and said she would need them as she had changed her mind and was keeping her baby. I noticed that she had the identification wristband on. She must have been actually on the table and realised the enormity of what her actions would be. She just couldn’t wait to get away. She was sobbing with relief and said how evil it felt in there. Well I could have danced for joy all day. Praise God!!

A young man came up to speak to a pavement counsellor. He politely but firmly expressed his concern that the leaflet had caused his girlfriend unnecessary distress. …They talked further. He understood more and apologized. His girlfriend came up to them both. She had rejected abortion. She thanked and hugged the counsellor. The young man was clearly endeared to her for her courage.

One morning when the First-Saturday-of-the-Month-Prayer-Group were saying the rosary a mother entering the clinic stopped her car at the gate and asked the counsellor if she could please wait while she parked so they could talk. She decided to miss the abortion appointment that day although she said she was still feeling confused and uncertain.

A man told one of our counsellors that a few years ago he and his girlfriend received one of our leaflets at the entrance to the abortion clinic and consequently walked out. Prior to receiving the leaflet they had no thought of the reality of the mistake they were about to make. They now have a second child and he proudly shared his phone photos of his beautiful now-wife and lovely children.

We know we are there to save grown-ups who undertake any sort of work for abortion centres. On the morning of the January Helper’s Vigil a woman working at the clinic told the counsellor that she would be “taking your good advice” and never returning.

A delighted man told me that his girlfriend had resisted her mother’s persistent attempts to persuade her to abort their baby that day.

A young woman cried when she told me she had aborted her child not many months previously. A much older lady told me she deeply regretted an abortion many years ago when she was new to the country and spoke no English – all had been arranged by her then husband .

A young couple responded to the counsellor and said they were going to keep their baby and drove away.

A Muslim man said they would keep their baby, he told our Counsellor that seeing us praying there had changed his mind.

The mother told our counsellor that this would be her 4th child and that her husband, who was Catholic, begged her not to harm the child and then, having listened to the counsellor, she took the leaflets with information on all the help she could receive. She said that she would keep her unborn baby and before she went away, she also said that she had come out for a smoke before having the abortion and that the staff had told her “not to speak to those people out there”.

A Muslim woman decided to keep her 6th baby after talking with our Counsellor; she had worried about what people would say about having so many children and also her mother didn’t want her to have the baby. Another young lady told our Counsellor that she was hoping someone would be there to help her so that she wouldn’t have to ‘go through with it’.

….A young woman came along but wouldn’t talk to any of our counsellors. She entered the building but when she came out, she kept walking backwards and forwards in the entrance to the MS building and was continually using her mobile phone. The suddenly she went over to M……. and took a Rosary and then went over to another counsellor and took another Rosary and gave him a big hug. Later M……. said that she had come over to her and said “You’re doing a great job – keep it up! I’m having twins and I’m keeping them!” She wanted 2 pink Rosaries because she thought they were girls. M……. only had one pink Rosary left, so she told her to ask D…. for another one.

The couple were already inside Marie Stopes when we got there to pray and counsel …the woman came out, leaving the father inside, and started talking to the counsellor and decided to keep the baby BUT – she was wearing the name band on her wrist!! That’s how close she was to having the abortion. She went back in to get the father out and they left taking their precious baby with them.

I’ve got some wonderful news to share, so far we have had a baby boy and girl born recently, through our prayers at Streatham. The meaning of the name the parents chose for their daughter, meant “God is Life” – how very beautiful. A couple just took our blue leaflet, came to Good Counsel for advice and decided to keep their baby. They had a baby boy last month.

The grandmother and the young pregnant mother, apparently Muslims, were greeted by our counsellor. The pregnant mother was crying, but went into the premises with the grandmother. The grandmother came out and accepted a Miraculous Medal. She waited in the car, but her daughter did not emerge for some time. When the pregnant mother did come out, she accepted a miraculous Medal. She was now happy, because, by God’s grace, she had had nothing done; her baby was saved. Smiles of joy were exchanged between the two women and the vigilers.

[A woman’s right to choose?] On 17th December, the day of our ‘big’ vigil here at Woodford, as usual, a couple of MS staff were outside trying to make sure they could prevent our counsellors from talking to the MS clients. In spite of their efforts, one woman who was sitting in a car just down the road a bit, was talking to one of our counsellors and when the staff approached, she sent her away. She confided to the counsellor that she desperately wanted to keep her baby; she had suffered severely after having a miscarriage and was then told that she would never be able to conceive again. Then when the ‘miracle’ happened her boyfriend was forcing her to abort. She took all the information leaflets and at that point the boyfriend arrived. He angrily snatched the leaflets away from her, throwing them back at the counsellor, and made her go with him into clinic. We could only pray that she would find the strength from somewhere to resist all the pressures on her and keep her precious baby.

It was nearly time to go, as the counsellor was due to serve at the 10 o’clock Mass, and one of the pray- ers went across to get the exhibit for life into the car, ready to go. The counsellor introduced her to the young man, saying that he was going back in to ‘get her out’. The man said “Your husband has spoken words of wisdom to me. I have been praying more than usual and asked God for a sign that I had made the right decision (whether he was right to have baby aborted) and you guys were here” (the sign he wanted). He went back inside to fetch her out and as we drove away they were walking up the road together – he with his arm around her comforting her.

Just by turning-up makes all the difference – in December, Hazel said she was waiting for someone to tell her to keep her little baby, she was full of joy that we were in attendance and thanked us for being there. In August we had 4 ‘saves’ and over the course of September to November, we had 6 ‘saves’; and a turnaround we had had in May resulted in a lady, heading back to Ireland full of joy, having twins.

We had arrived at the Marie Stopes Essex Centre for one of our weekday vigils and our counsellor noticed that a young woman kept pulling back the curtain at one of the windows and peering at us. We had not been there too long before she came out and told the counsellor that she had changed her mind and would be keeping her baby.

At a Saturday vigil, another young woman told a counsellor as she stopped to speak to him, that she had hoped there would be someone there (at the abortion mill) who would help her so that she wouldn’t have to go through with an abortion. She then told him of all the difficulties she had – several children already, frightened of losing her job and no support from the father or anyone else and that she had had an abortion before and did not want to go through that again – she really did want to keep this baby but unless she had help, she wouldn’t be able to. She said to the counsellor as she gave him a big hug “You are here and you can help me – thank you.” And so, taking the information with contact numbers for all the help she needed, she left without troubling to go into Marie Stopes to see what “help” they would offer.

So many times we hear this from the women – “I prayed that someone would be there and that I wouldn’t have to do it.” This is why, no matter what, whether we are laughed at, jeered at, taunted, and in any kind of weather or difficulties, the Helpers must be there – at Calvary, where innocent lives are in danger. And because we were there at Buckhurst Hill, every Saturday and during the week, over the last few months 12 women have decided to keep their babies and 11 have taken the information and are very likely to decide to keep their babies.

They met a Moslem couple who turned around that day (apparently the lady had gone as far as to have the abortion procedure but changed her mind at the last minute) and they were so very grateful for meeting the Helpers outside the clinic that day and that they had not gone ahead with the abortion that they sent Martin the following e-mail to thank them (I have changed their names for confidentiality reasons).

‘Dear Martin, Thank you for your email. It was an absolute pleasure to meet such people as yourselves. We really did pray before we went into the clinic for some sort of sign to help us with our decision and it truly was meeting you people.

We shall remain in touch. If you come to Windsor then please do inform us and we will be delighted to meet you or if we pop into Ealing then we shall see you.
Keep us in your prayers and God Bless.
Fiona and Michael’

Our counsellor approached a woman who was delivering laundry to the Marie Stopes centre and began talking to her. She said that she worked there and that we were upsetting the women and we shouldn’t be there. The counsellor went on to explain why we were there and talked about God’s mercy and that although we sometimes turn our back on God, He never turns His back on us. The woman said she had become a Christian 2 years ago and when the counsellor said about Jesus forgiving Mary Magdalene and that she was the first person He appeared to when He rose from the tomb, she was holding onto his arm and when he said that when God forgave

our sins it was like taking a drop of water and casting it into the ocean – it was gone completely; at this point she hugged and kissed the counsellor and thanked him – she doesn’t work for Marie Stopes anymore.

….. While I knelt praying on the pavement opposite, the counsellor was offering help to those entering the building. In prayer, I said to Our Lady, “Dear Mother, today is your birthday, please would you give us a special present – please let us know today, of at least one who has changed their mind here?” ….

Suddenly a young woman came up to me and bending down said, “Excuse me,” and then she squatted down beside me and said with tears in her eyes, “I don’t know why I came here today. God told me to come here but I don’t know why.” …..“Seven years ago I came here and went in to have an abortion. Right at the last minute – and it was at the very last minute – I changed my mind and came out and now I have a seven year old son. And it was because you were here and I want to say ‘thank you so very much’. It was because you were here that I came out and have my beautiful son, thank you.” ….. Seven years ago we had no idea that this woman had changed her mind – perhaps some of us might have thought “What good have we done here? What’s the point?” I am so glad we were there then, and I’m so glad we go there whenever we can. Please don’t think you haven’t had an effect, that your prayers haven’t been answered, because you haven’t seen the fruits of your labour; there are so many who change their mind, just because we are there – because you are there.

Just by turning-up makes all the difference – in December, Hazel said she was waiting for someone to tell her to keep her little baby, she was full of joy that we were in attendance and thanked us for being there. In August we had 4 ‘saves’ and over the course of September to November, we had 6 ‘saves’; and a turnaround we had had in May resulted in a lady, heading back to Ireland full of joy, having twins.

At a Saturday vigil, another young woman told a counsellor as she stopped to speak to him, that she had hoped there would be someone there (at the abortion mill) who would help her so that she wouldn’t have to go through with an abortion. She then told him of all the difficulties she had – several children already, frightened of losing her job and no support from the father or anyone else and that she had had an abortion before and did not want to go through that again – she really did want to keep this baby but unless she had help, she wouldn’t be able to. She said to the counsellor as she gave him a big hug “You are here and you can help me – thank you.”